Roller guides and tips for fishing rods have, over a number of decades, become popular on fishing rods used for salt-water sport fishing for relatively large fish, especially game fish. Typically, such roller guides are relatively heavy and have metal frames that are in the great majority of cases supported by two feet. The rollers in the guides are usually held in place by bearings that are in turn secured by screws. The screws are often removed when it is desired to lubricate the bearings.
At least one attempt has been made to popularize roller guides on rods used for relatively small fish, including some fresh-water fish. These guides had frames made of synthetic resin. The guides were a commercial failure and were withdrawn from the market more than a decade ago.
There remains a need for roller guides that are extremely light and that can be used effectively with relatively light line, in the range of two-pound test to twenty-pound test. It is important that the guides do not inhibit to any substantial extent the high flexibility of, or increase substantially the weight of, the lightweight rods used for such fish. It is also important that the roller guides be very strong, be strongly connected to the rod blanks (shafts), be readily lubricated without need for disassembly, and be characterized by very low friction. It is, additionally, important that the roller guides in different sizes be capable of mass production with a minimum number of different component sizes, with minimum labor, etc.
The lightweight roller guide should be so low-friction, strong, economical and light, etc; that it will tend to supplant large numbers of the ring guides now commonly employed on lightweight fishing rods. Such ring guides have a metal or plastic frame in which is--typically--mounted a ring of aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, metal, or other substance believed to be relatively low friction. However, such a ring guide--especially when a fish is on the line--generates friction at the line which is much greater than that generated when roller guides are employed. Furthermore, ring guides tend to break, check, etc. Friction between line and ring guide tends to heat the line, which is undesirable, it being vastly preferred that the generated heat be in the guide itself and not transmitted to the line in any way.